IWD has started to process Pandemic Extended Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits for individuals who have already received 26 weeks of benefits prior to or during the pandemic. Most claimants can expect to see deposits next week for these claims including retroactive payments of PEUC and FPUC payments.

Customer Service is here to answer your questions. Please review the following before contacting customer service:

Telephone: Dial 1-866-239-0843 and you will receive a prompt to select a menu option. Once you make your selection, your call will be placed on hold and you will hear music. Your call has automatically been placed in queue and will be connected with an agent in the order received. We are committed to helping all of our citizens. Please note that some cell phone providers are experiencing outages or an “all circuits are currently busy” message. This is related to your phone provider and not our agency’s call center. Please try your call later or use a different phone provider.

Please note that we can only release information to a claimant or employer. If you are emailing our agency on behalf of someone, we cannot provide you any information.

If you have already submitted an email and are awaiting a response, please do not submit duplicate requests.

In-Person: IowaWORKS Centers are following the Iowa Department of Public Health’s guidance for social distancing. Offices will only be open to customers with an appointment or to accept identity verification. We encourage you to submit identity verification documents here.

If you have filed an unemployment claim and are self-employed, an independent contractor, gig economy worker, etc, PLEASE DISREGARD the form you receive from IWD on green paper. It is a standard form that is computer generated and has NO BEARING on your claim. Learn more by reviewing Step 3 of how to file a PUA claim here.

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Governor Reynolds addresses situations when workers laid off due to COVID-19 are called back to their place of employment but refuse to return. Refusing to return to work may disqualify claimants from future unemployment insurance benefits. (Video courtesy of Iowa PBS)

Although we may not be in our normal offices, we're always going to be committed to serving Iowans.

Looking for skilled workers? Inmates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary are getting upskilled in various industries as we speak. They recently had a chance to share their skills with employers at the Anamosa Employer and Reentry Roundtable event. Here is a glimpse behind the scenes as they train to return to the workforce.

The Iowa Restaurant Association recently was awarded $50,000 from the Future Ready Iowa Employer Innovation Fund. The Association's ProStart program helps place aspiring chefs into kitchens around the state for training and mentoring. The funding helps them put on a massive statewide cooking competition that pits teams of high school chefs against each other...and the clock.

A webinar specifically for employers. Here's what you need to know in order to navigate unemployment insurance benefits during COVID-19

Workforce update from Governor Kim Reynolds on April 24, 2020

Although we may not be in our normal offices, we're always going to be committed to serving Iowans.

Imates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary are Upskilling as We Speak

Employer Innovation Fund Helps High School Students Compete in the Kitchen